Book Worm

Since finishing my master's degree program last May, I have been a reading fiend - seriously devouring anything that isn't related to systems engineering, managing people, and/or number crunching.

Here are my recent favorite reads:

11/22/63 by Stephen King - This book was so good, that I've now read it twice.  It is unlike any book I've ever read and may have every type of possible genre all wrapped into this one book.  The main character uses a time portal to go back to 1958 to try and prevent the Kennedy assassination from happening.  Thrilling.

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Inferno by Dan Brown - Dan Brown is my man.  I've read all of his books and loved each one, with Inferno being no different.  Robert Langdon, the principal character from The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons, and The Lost Symbol, returns and finds himself in Italy - but doesn't remember how he got there.  The one thing I get tired of with 'ol Danny Boy's books is the aesthetic details of scenery and artifacts, but he does make up for it with character and plot development, and action. 

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The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith - Robert Galbraith is actually a pseudonym for JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series.  Because she penned this book, of course I was going to read it.  The book tells the story of a supermodel who dies (presumed suicide) and whose family hires a private investigator to (gasp!) investigate. I read and read, and I kept waiting to get sucked in, but didn't until the very end.  The ending was great, but to be honest, this book was a hard read for me.  To make it a more pleasurable experience, I read it with an English accent.  I hear there's a sequel in the works and you can bet I'll get suckered into reading that one, too.  Cuz I'm loyal like that.

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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak -  A book I surprisingly loved about a young girl growing up with foster parents in Nazi Germany during World War II.  Let's just say that after I got over the initial confusion of who was narrating the story (hello, it's Death), I shed a few tears and loved the relationships she formed with other characters during the course of the story. 

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - After hearing from several people that I should read this one, I did and I couldn't put it down.  Gone Girl is about a couple who have transplanted themselves from swanky New York to the Midwest.  Their marriage seems a bit rocky (depending on who you ask) and then Amy disappears.  A little dark, but this book was fun.  I wasn't a big fan of the ending, but I'm interested to see what they do with it on the big screen.  And I don't care what anyone else says, I'm a Ben Affleck fan.

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Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - Clearly, I like murder mysteries and Gillian's style of writing because I then quickly read her second book, Dark Places.  This one is about Libby Day, the lone survivor of a Midwest massacre in which three of her other family members are killed.  Her testimony put her brother in jail for the murders, but after being approached by a group of people interested in the crime, Libby starts looking into the details.  Again, super dark - darker than Gone Girl, but really, really good.

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Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - Need I say it again?  I dig a good murder mystery and the way Gillian changes the perspective in her narration hooks me.  Sharp Objects follows Camille, a Chicago journalist who is tasked with returning to her small, Missouri hometown to investigate the murder of two young girls.  It's clear that Camille has some baggage, but she gets to the bottom of it.  More darkness, with plot lines you don't even want to think about being reality, but very, very good.

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Where'd You Go Bernadette? by Maria Semple - I needed some comical relief after spending so much time with Gillian Flynn.  Enter Maria Semple and Bernadette, the story of a Seattle mother who, long story short, loses her shit and goes missing.  Her husband is a Microsoft executive and their poor daughter is in the middle of the mess.  Of  course, I really enjoyed the references to Seattle/the Northwest.  A quick, fun, and funny read if you are looking for something light.

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I'm currently reading And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini, who also wrote The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.  I'm just starting, but based on how much I enjoyed the first two books, I don't expect to be disappointed. 

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Have you read any of these books?  I would love to hear what you think.  Have you read any good books lately that I should add to my reading list?  Please share!

Take Luck,

LP

Sleep Training

I wold just like to start off with a big fact disclaimer.  In case it wasn't obvious, I am by no means a professional sleep trainer.  Or a professional anything, for that matter.  I just thought I would share our journey with sleep training and the few small changes that made a big difference in this house.

It was OK to get up several times in the night when Camden was a newborn.  There was still that euphoric, "We have a baby!" feeling in the house, I was on maternity leave, and sleep deprivation hadn't set in.  Some illness got thrown in there a few months later, and I was OK with that too.  The poor kiddo didn't know how to breathe out of his mouth - I get it.

2 month old Baby Cam

But, fast forward to a six month old babe who was still not sleeping through the night - and I can tell you that sense of euphoria was long gone.  Long gone, folks.  I loved that he "loved me so much that he wanted to see me in the night..." but seriously, I stopped thinking that was adorable when he was about three months old.

No night was the same.  I would hope and pray (literally) for a decent night's sleep.  Heck, even a solid stretch of sleep before my first wake-up call would have been a bonus.  Ryan eventually said I needed to stop hoping for a decent night's sleep and just prepare myself for an awful nights sleep.  That way - I'd be pleased with whatever mediocre rest I got.

As right as he may have been and as silly as it was - that wasn't how I wanted to approach the situation.  I've said it before - I'm an optimist and I just didn't want to think that way.  Part of me just kept thinking, "Camden will figure it out on his own..." But it soon became clear that just wasn't going to happen.  Either that or I wasn't willing to wait for him to get his sleeping act together.

While I knew we were doing certain things the "right" way, like having him sleep in his crib, using a sound machine, using a pacifier, and having a bed time routine - there were a few things that we weren't doing the "right" way, like feeding and/or rocking him to sleep (and therefore, putting him to bed asleep), and jumping up every time he whined or cried in the night.

It was obvious that even if he could put himself to sleep at bedtime, or after waking in the night - he didn't know that he could do it.  Because we were doing the work for him and putting him down asleep, he didn't know how to put himself back down when waking in the night.  And plus the little booger knew that we (OK, I) would come running in to answer his cries.  Silly mommy.  Smart baby.

I broke out the resources.  Some I would recommend are The Sleep Easy Solution by Waldburger and Spivack, The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep by Harvey Karp, M.D., Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Baby by Marc Weissbluth, M.D (which I'm currently browsing through), and a blog called Troublesome Tots.

All were pointing to our key problem - putting Camden down asleep instead of awake.  I knew this was the problem but was too chicken shit to do anything to change it.  I kept thinking, "But it's so easy this way..."  Wrong, wrong, wrong.  I also found that in order to get over this little hurdle, we may be going down the "cry it out" road.  It wasn't necessary, but it would be a quicker solution than a non-cry it out approach.

I read and read (and read and read and read) about the different approaches to sleep training - both cry it out and non-cry it out.  I knew in my heart that we needed him to cry it out, but my heart also wasn't ready to commit to it.  But, who does want to leave their baby to cry?  No one.

This mama needed to buck up if I wanted some sleep.  And I did, so desperately.  Even if that meant a few tears shed by Camden (and me).

The week/weekend of 4th of July, I decided that it was go-time.  The long weekend was the perfect opportunity to give this a try because if we had some long nights - I would be able to catch up on sleep during nap times.  That was my theory anyway.  Also, based on my sob fest at the doctor's office - I didn't think my mental health could take much more of the current sleep patterns.  I made sure that Ryan was on-board with the plan of attack.  I sure as hell wasn't going to do this alone.

We were following the Sleep Easy Solution guidelines that suggests check-ins after 3 minutes, then 5 minutes later, then 10 minutes later, and 10 minutes later for each subsequent check-in.  The book also suggests keeping the check-ins brief (less than 30 seconds) and that you shouldn't physically touch the (screaming) baby.  You continue the check-ins until baby falls asleep.  Sounds fun, right?

The first night, we put Camden down awake and he cried (OK, screamed) for 45 minutes.  I ended up having to leave the house because there was no chore or television show that was going to distract me from that sound.  I left and paced our neighborhood, called my baby sister and my parents, and text Tiff and my sister-in-law for support.  I left Ryan with the check-in and "no touching" instructions.

After walking awhile, I peeked my head into the front door to see my husband with a very guilty look on his face.  And the house was quiet.  Ryan quickly confessed, "I cheated.  I went in for the check-in.  And I hugged him.  He needed a hug.  I had to hug him.  I hugged him and he laid down and fell asleep."

Well, doesn't that just melt your heart?  Camden exhausted himself so much that he just needed a hug from his daddy (although I'm guessing contact with any human being would have done just fine).  My poor baby.

For the most part, each night got a little better.  If he woke up in the night, we'd go back to our same check-in strategy, and as hard as it was - not result to picking him up, rocking, and/or feeding him.  That was my most challenging time, I think.  It's in the middle of the night, you are a zombie, and you know that if you just picked your baby up and comforted and/or fed them - they'd fall back asleep.

Naps were a little hit or miss at first.  He was always a good napper, but again - we were in the habit of putting him down asleep.  We used our new-found method at nap time and once he got the idea, he's done pretty darn good.  Sometimes it just took a little longer for him to fall asleep. 

I swear, this child is stubborn just like his dad.

These days, we start Camden's bed time routine about 15 minutes before we want to be laying him down in his crib.  If he falls asleep drinking his nighttime bottle, we jiggle or tickle him awake - even if he only opens his eyes long enough to be laid down.  It took some time, but he's sleeping through the night (I'm knocking on wood right now) - totally able to put himself back to sleep if he wakes up in the night.

This child is a wiggle worm when he's awake and it is no different when he's asleep.  No joke, every time I click the monitor to check on him (yes, I still check frequently to make sure he's breathing - I can't help it), he's laying in a different position.  His tummy, his back, cuddled up to the crib rail, snuggling his lovey, on his side... You get the idea.  Prior to sleep training, all this movement would have woken him up and caused the whining to begin.  Not anymore.

If you've made it through this post - you deserve a medal of some kind.  Because who really gives a hoot about our experience with sleep training?  Probably not many.  But you might read something that could be helpful to you in the future, or know someone who is struggling with exhaustion and sleep deprivation like we were.  Maybe you (or someone you know) is contemplating a cry it out sleep training method.  I'm here to tell you that if you commit to it (seriously, half the battle), you will see results.

It's hard, and it will tug on your mama (and daddy) heart strings like no other.  But your baby will sleep better... And so will you.

Take Luck,

LP

A Must Read

The prompt for Day 7 of Sar's 15 Challenge is: Recommend a book for us to read.  Why is it important/special to you?

The last book to completely and totally suck me in was one that my Daddio recommended: 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

This book contained some science fiction (man traveling back to September 9, 1958 by way of a time portal in a local diner), historical fiction, and the alteration of historical events (man trying to stop the Kennedy assassination) and had me hooked, lined and sunk from the first chapter.

The main character, Jake, can go back to 1958 any number of times, but will always go back to the same day - 9/9/58 and each trip restarts (or changes back to the original course of history) what he previously fixed.  Say he goes back to 1958, waits out until 1963 and fails to stop the assassination - he could come back to the present, re-portal back to 1958, and then start his pursuit all over again and undo any events that he altered during his first go-round.

This story is amazing and filled with real-life people and events, and some historical fiction.  I found myself wanting Jake to succeed in his quest so badly, but of course - he is faced with numerous hard choices and "butterfly effects" along the way.

You don't have to love (or even like!) history to enjoy this book.  It is a long book, page number wise, but trust me when I say it doesn't feel like it when you are reading.

I'd love to hear if anyone has read it or is interested in reading it.  I certainly don't want to give away too many juicy details.

Take Luck,

LP

Six Word Memoirs

Day 2 of Sarah's 15 Day Challenge and the prompt is this: Write a [few] six word memoirs[s].

Here goes.

I struggled with this for many moments this morning.  When I think of a memoir - I think of an autobiography.  Some truly classy memoirs that come to mind are "Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining" by Judge Judy and "Don't Hassel the Hoff" by David Hasselhoff. 

Others include Tina Fey's "Bossypants," Ellen Degeneres's "Seriously... I'm Kidding," and Chelsea Handler's "Are You There Vodka?  It's Me, Chelsea."

As I thought a little more about this, I thought about what my autobiography/memoir might be called - should I ever write one.  I tried and tried to find a deep and meaningful six words, but I just couldn't.  I kept going back to humor.  So, that's the approach I took to this.  Most of these gems require a subtitle/text of some sort (which of course I've included!).  

I swear some of these memoirs could fit at various points of any day, and that's what makes them perfect.  Enjoy.

[1] The Dog Eats Better Than Me

(Our journey with canine food allergies)

[2] Stop Clipping Your Fingernails at Work 

(And other pet peeves)

[3] A Little Tomboy Becoming a Mama

(If it's a girl - Lord help her)

[4] Buy This Girl a Joke Book

(Dreams of becoming a comedienne)

And say, if my dreams of becoming a comedienne do come true - perhaps these could also work as my comedy bit titles?  We shall see, friends.

 Take Luck,

LP

Fill in the Blank Friday

Friday is here at last, here at last!!

Linking up with new mom, Lauren for Fill in the Blank Friday.

[1] My favorite place I've ever traveled to is St. Lucia.

[2] Anywhere in Europe is somewhere I would like to go someday.

[3] I pass the time on a plane (or bus, or car ride or train) by reading, listening to music, or sleeping.  I can sleep anywhere.

[4] My three must-haves when I travel are my itinerary, iPod, and Nook.

[5] My favorite travel companion is my Hubby, Ryan.

[6] The craziest thing that ever happened while traveling was when I was trying to fly home one Christmas from college.  My flight home to Seattle kept getting delayed and delayed due to weather, and ultimately cancelled.  I went to the ticket-counter-lady and was emotional/crying (works every time), it struck a Mommy-cord in her so she put me on a different flight.  However, this flight was horrible.  We landed safely in Seattle, but I do not know how.  It was the most turbulent and unbalanced landing ever.  I debated kissing the ground when I stepped in the terminal, but I was still trying to keep from peeing my pants.

[7] The most exotic food I've ever tried while traveling is chicken creole in St. Lucia.

Wishing everyone a great weekend!!

Take Luck,

LP

Dear Monday

Monday, already? Gah.

Here are some Dear Monday letters with Megan!

Dear Monday, Other than my wicked cramps, you weren't so bad.  We'll see how I feel about you once class starts tonight.  Bleh.

Dear Brock & Sonny, Watching you play with each other (like you are right now) makes me giggle and warms my heart.

Dear Friends, I got several random texts from you today and with each chirp of my phone, I was reminded of how lucky I am have gotten to spend time with you in college, playing the game we love, and growing relationships that are still strong. 

Dear Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, You were without a doubt one of the strangest books I've ever read.  The story line was really interesting and hooked me, but the way you were written was hard to read, and sometimes hard to follow.  I persevered and conquer you!  I know the movie is going to be a tear. jerker.

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Dear Honey Bunches of Oats, I cannot tell you how proud I am of you for how hard you've been working.  You were dead asleep last night at 6:30, and it was precious.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Take Luck,

LP

Dear Monday

Another Monday, here already.  Linking up with Megan for Dear Monday letters!

Dear Monday, You + 4:15am alarm = Not cool.

Dear How I Met Your Mother, The Hubs and I started watching you  from the very beginning this weekend.  I must say - I like you. 

Dear Throat, Please. Stop. Hurting.  I happen to like eating.  And swallowing.

Dear "Heaven is for Real," I loved reading Colton's sweet story.

Dear Kennedy & Riley, We spent some time together on Saturday and you requested that I build you a fork.  It took me awhile to figure out what the heck you meant.  The chairs, pillows, and blankets were the pieces to the fork puzzle.  Between fork (fort) and puker (computer), you two are just the cutest ever.

Dear Hubby, A few days ago I was singing.  A sizzling show tune, I'm sure.  You said, "Please sing something else."  I transitioned into Lady Gaga's "Marry the Night" and got as far as, "I'm gonna maarrrryy... The niiiiiiight!" and realized that was all of the song I knew.  I then said, "Darnit!  I don't know this song!"  And you said, "Great.  Sing that one!"  Your wit and honesty is something that I (mostly) love about you.

Happy Monday, people!

Take Luck,

LP

Fill in the Blank Friday

It's Friday!  Time to fill in some blanks with Lauren.

[1] One of my favorite things to do when I have free time is absolutely nothing.  I love curling up on the couch or in bed with a snuggly blanket, puppies, Hubby and a book or the laptop.

[2] When I have free time I tend to find things to make it so my "free time" is occupied by studying, cleaning, organizing, or some other domestic-goddess duty - instead of curling up on the couch or in bed with a snuggly blanket, puppies, Hubby and a book or the laptop.

[3] If I had an entire day completely to myself I would sleep in, soak in a bubble bath, read a book, drink a vanilla latte, have lunch at Panera Bread Co., take an afternoon nap, watch a "chick flick" or two, bake, and eat ice cream.  Lots of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

[4] I would prefer to spend my free time (alone or with others...) Both.  I love spending my free time with Ryan or friends and family, but sometimes I really do enjoy spending some free time alone.

[5] Most of my free time happens on my Fridays off and the weekends.  Glorious, glorious days!

[6] The best thing about free time is it's free!  You can do whatever you want.

[7] The next time I have free time I should probably soak it up and enjoy being "bored" but I'll probably keep myself busy with something... And then regret it later.

Hoping everyone has a weekend full of relaxing free time!

Take Luck,

LP

Dear Monday

Monday, again?  I seemed to have spaced-out last Monday and forgot to write these letters with Megan.  I think I was hungover on Christmas joy or something.

Dear Monday, Today marked the third Monday in a row that I have gotten to stay home instead of go to work.  I have loved every minute of you.  Perhaps a little too much.

Dear Brock, For the last several days you have been following me everywhere.  Everywhere.  I love you, but a lady needs a little privacy when using the bathroom.

Dear Naked House, You have been officially de-Christmassed.  The tree is gone, decorations have been put away, and the lights are off the house.  I am already looking forward to next year and basking in your glory.

Dear Bossypants, I have really enjoyed you.  I think Tina Fey and I could be friends.

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Dear Coffee-Date Friends, It was wonderfully lovely to catch up with you last week.  It reminds me that there is a reason that you have stayed in my life after all these years.  Hooray!

Dear Hubby, All I can say is that I love you to the moon.  And around our block.  Twice.

Take Luck,

LP

Dear Monday

Another Monday is here.  Time for Dear Monday with Megan.

Dear Monday, Does it seem counter-productive that I write this at the end of the day... Instead of at the beginning?  Nah.

Dear Presentation, Please pass smoothly and quickly tomorrow, and with no questions asked.

Dear Exercise, Even though I feel more motivated to partake in you when I am otherwise indisposed (ahem, at work), I am always happy when we've finished our time together.

Dear Sonny, This morning I was convinced that you were on crack.  Tearing through the house at 4:00am is not cool.

Dear Christmas Music, You brighten any mood.

Dear 11/22/63, I am hooked on you.  I am even dragging out my reading so I can keep reading your goodness!  Well done, Stephen King.  Well done.

Dear Hubby, Last night I opened our "junk" drawer to find that you had unwrapped a new pack of gum.  How did I know this?  Because you left the empty wrapper in the drawer.  When I pointed this out to you, you tried to blame it on Brock and said that he has bad breath and needed a piece of gum.  You are so silly.  And unbelievable.

Take Luck,

LP

Day 10: Favorite Famous Folks

Day 10: Give a picture of your 5 favorite famous people and explain why you like them.

[Ellen]

Who doesn't love Ellen?  She is so funny, charming, and just overall wonderful.

[Oprah]

Again, who doesn't love Oprah?  This woman has ungodly amounts of heart and compassion.

[Tom Hanks]

 My favorite actor.  He is so versatile and every movie he's done has been fantastic (at least everything that I have seen). 

[Reese Witherspoon]

She is my favorite actress.  She is funny, but can play a dramatic role... And I just love her.  She seems like a person that you could be friends with. 

[Dan Brown]

I have read all of Dan Brown's books, and each one of them sucks me in more than the others.  If you haven't read his stuff (Digital Fortress, Deception Point, The DaVinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol) - you should.

Take Luck,

LP

Some Thoughts

This was an interesting week in many ways.  Some good, some bad, some weird.

Here are my thoughts. 

[Teddy]

As I mentioned, Miss Teddy Ruxbin has been staying with us this week.  It's a good thing she is so stinking adorable and sweet, because she is as crazy as she is adorable.  She has been following me everywhere I go and I have tripped over her little body about 29 times.  I know one little lady (Sonny, not me) who is probably ready to resume her throne as queen of the Peters castle.

[Ryan]

Poor hubby.  He started the week working 10s. The 10s turned into 12s.  The 12s turned into 14s.  I don't even know what to say when I pick him up from work.  "Hey honey.  So uhh, how was your day??"

[Alice in Wonderland] 

We watched Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton version) one night this week.  I love this movie.  Ryan and I were talking about all the "fun words" in the flick like Jabberwocky, Bandersnatch, Vorpal Sword, Futterwacken, and Frabjous Day

[Work]

Was good this week.  I was busy, productive, and felt as if I really contributed.  Let's just say I don't always feel that way.

[Travel]

I have one more trip.  For the last four weeks I have been home one and traveling the next (you can read about my experiences at Fort Huachuca here and here and also about Washington, D.C.).  It is really starting to wear on me.  On Sunday, the saga continues as I head to Groton, Connecticut for the week to validate one of our boats.  I can't wait to be on the boat for 10+ hours a day, in the East Coast heat and humidity, crawling through the tiny and awkward spaces in my coveralls.  Can you feel the sarcasm? 

[School]

The fall semester starts in 17 days.  I got my Engineering Statistics textbook in the mail on Tuesday and wanted to cry after looking at the first chapter.  Enough said.

[Tiffer & Ryan]

Tiffanie and her hubby, Ryan will be here in 11 days.  Yup, 11 days!!  I have an itinerary all planned out to maximize their stay and experience in Washington.  I cannot wait!  

[Books]

Since the Spring semester ended in May, I have been reading like a mad woman.  So far, I have read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Stieg Larsson series); House Rules (Jodi Picoult); The Other Daughter (Lisa Gardner); The Help (Kathryn Stockett); The Hunger Games Trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins); and just finished Ape House (Sara Gruen).

[Sneezing]
Yesterday while eating my lunch I felt some sneezles coming on.  I think I must be allergic to work.  Anyway, when I got to my bag-o-carrots, the sneezles came.  There is no way to avoid pain while sneezing and eating or swallowing carrots.  No way.

I think its good to reflect every now and again.

And lucky you.

You get to read about it.

Take Luck,

LP

Nook

Guess what my lovely Hubby presented me with this Valentine's Day??...

 ...A Nook from Barnes & Noble!!

So in light of this literary gift, here is a list of my favorite books - in no particular order:

Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)

World Without End (Ken Follett)

Angels & Demons (Dan Brown)

The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)

The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown)

Deception Point (Dan Brown)

Digital Fortress (Dan Brown)

A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)

The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)

Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen) 

Into Thin Air (Jon Krakauer)

Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer)

Tuesday's With Morrie (Mitch Albom)

Five People You Meet in Heaven (Mitch Albom)

For One More Day (Mitch Albom)

I am also a fan of Sandra Brown, John Grisham and Nicholas Sparks :)  I love to read, and I love getting lost in a book, not wanting it to end.  I know there have been a few instances upon finishing one book, where I haven't wanted to start another because I feel like I'm "cheating" on the one I just finished!!  I know, I know.  That's a little weird, but I can't help it!!  I can't wait to be done with my graduate studies so I can finally read for leisure/pleasure again, and NOT textbooks!  Ho hum, someday...

Take Luck,
LP